Fort Mason – SEATS

 Posted by on April 14, 2012
Apr 142012
 
Fort Mason
 
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This piece is high up on a retaining wall. The chair is by Brian Goggins and is very similar to his Defenestration Piece running South of Market.

The description that accompanies the piece is “Fortitude” A submarine chair transforms our perception of space and objects. This “submarine chair” is a chair found on WWII submarines known to be “fashionably indestructible”.

People in submarines eventually need to sit down, and in 1944 aluminum company ALCOA collaborated with the U.S. Navy on the purpose-built 1006 Chair, also known as the Navy Chair or Submarine Chair. The design brief had at least one interesting bulletpoint: The chair had to be “torpedo-proof.”
The resultant super-strong chair is still in production today, manufactured by aluminum chair company Emeco.

Emeco even teamed up with Coca-Cola to make the chairs from recycled plastic.

North Beach – Art at the corner of Broadway, Grant and Columbus

 Posted by on November 9, 2011
Nov 092011
 
North Beach
Bill Weber is the muralist on this project, and according to his website he is an established Bay Area muralist and painter and has been creating murals nationwide since 1974. His style ranges from surreal to Trompe l’Oeil, whimsical to realistic and can be adapted to any project requirements.
Language of the Birds by Brian Goggins

Brian has written so eloquently about his project that I am just going to quote directly from his blog.

Historically “The Language of the Birds” was considered a divine language birds used to communicate with the initiated. Here, a flock of books takes off from the plaza to fly the urban gullies of the city. The fluttering books have left a gentle imprint of words beneath them. These serendipitously configured bits of local literature reveal the layering of culture, nature and consciousness.

Language of the Birds is a flock of twenty-three sculpted illuminated books, which appear to have just taken flight from the plaza like pigeons scared up by a passer by. Appearing to be in motion, the books have flown open creating various wing positions with the pages and bindings. The entire artwork appears to be in motion with each book holding its position as a bird does in a flock.

Each unique book is fabricated in frosted white translucent polycarbonate. These sculptural elements are suspended from a geometric web of stainless steel aircraft cables. At night LED lights embedded in the books create visual patterns, at different times one might see the flock subtly pulsing or displaying a spectacular zoetropic effect. The dynamic lights of Language of the Birds play in the night sky with the other luminous signs of the area.

SOMA – Defenestration

 Posted by on May 17, 2011
May 172011
 
6th and Howard
SOMA
AS OF JUNE OF 2014 DEFENESTRATION HAS BEEN REMOVED
Geo

Defenestration is at 6th and Howard Street in San Francisco.  Not only is it about two blocks from my house but  I also had the privilege of working with its artist Brian Goggin (before this installation) through a charitable organization LEAP, which brings art and architecture into schools.  So, I was very happy to see that it has had a face lift.  Defenestration literally means “Throw out of a window”.  This installation was done by Brian and well over 100 volunteers.  It is on the site of a four story, abandoned tenement building.  And this is the description of the work in Brian’s words. “Reflecting the harsh experience of many members of the community, the furniture is of the streets, cast-off and unappreciated. The simple, unpretentious beauty and humanity of these downtrodden objects is reawakened through the action of the piece. The act of “throwing out” becomes an uplifting gesture of release, inviting reflection on the spirit of the people we live with, the objects we encounter, and the places in which we live.”  The bottom floor works as a rotating gallery for muralists.

Defenestration was installed in 1997, the building has been empty for as long as I can remember.  The city of San Francisco finally purchased the building this last year and it is slated to be turned into Senior Housing in the next 18 months.  I am sure that Defenestration has had a longer run than Brian ever expected, but when it is gone, it will be missed.

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